British Gas boilers are installed by Gas Safe qualified engineers; they are also the largest installer of boilers in the UK and offer free consultation. A Heating Adviser from British Gas will visit your home and discuss the best options available including how you can be more energy efficient and save money on your heating bills.

• Free consultation with fixed cost quote
• Installers are Gas Safe qualified
• All heating systems sold with breakdown cover
• All heating systems have a 5 year guarantee
• Parts are guaranteed to be available for 10 years
• Frequent special offers and discounts are available
• You can pay using a monthly payment plan
• No deposit is required

Guest Article by Carlan Li

Why central heating breakdown cover is the informed choice to save your wallet from being lighter in the long run. 

Why would I purchase central heating breakdown cover in spring?

Gas boiler safety is not always on the top of our list, but if your boiler is left un-serviced it can have disastrous consequences. Ensure your boiler remains safe and prevent having to look for a new gas boiler before time. It is usually only when something goes wrong that we think about gas boiler safety.

Gas boiler safety advice

Boiler care plans often have added extras such as Annual Safety and Maintenance inspections. Taking out some sort of boiler cover will help your gas boiler efficiency and prolong the life of your boiler. A safety inspection is great value for money; badly serviced gas appliances are dangerous and can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Tips For Gas Safety

Most households use some sort of gas appliance. Gas appliances need air to ensure that they burn safely and during this process they produce carbon monoxide which is usually removed via a flue or chimney. If the flue or chimney becomes blocked or the gas appliance malfunctions this could cause the device to become faulty and leak carbon monoxide into a property.

Carbon monoxide is a gas that is hard to detect since it is odourless, tasteless and colourless. The gas is extremely dangerous to health and can be fatal as it stops the blood bringing oxygen to your vital organs as well as cells and tissue. In the UK alone around 15 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning from gas appliances. It is therefore important to ensure gas safety within a home.

To be gas aware and safe in your property, it is recommended that you follow these five safety tips:

1. You should get your main household gas appliances such as your gas boiler or gas fire checked by a qualified gas engineer every year. This best time to get these checked is when the appliance has its annual service.
2. For all other household gas appliances you can check them yourself. To do this you need to be looking for any issues with the appliance and signs that you should look out for include yellow flames, black stains or marks appearing on the appliance along with excessive condensation appearing in rooms.
3. You need to understand and recognise the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning as this will highlight a faulty appliance and a problem with the gas supply. Unfortunately, carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms mimic other illnesses such as food poisoning. However, the common symptoms to look out for include; headaches, dizziness, sickness, breathlessness, tiredness, erratic behaviour and visual problems.
4. You need to ensure that the room where the gas appliance is located is well ventilated as this will help the appliance burn correctly.
5. You should only use the gas appliance for what it was intended for. For example, never use a gas oven to heat a room or bring a gas barbeque inside the house.

Guest Article by Louise Goldstein

At this time of year, with the clocks going back, the days shortening and thoughts of next year’s summer way off, most boiler companies are asking their customers to ensure that the clocks on their devices have gone to the correct time.

Most modern day combination condensing boilers come complete with automatic clocks that, like computers, are pre-programmed to adjust to Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time changes.

Boiler manufacturer Worcester is just one that reminds customers to make sure the change has happened correctly, although it points out that most of its models do so of their own accord.

These Worcester boilers have controls for example that automatically adjust to GMT/BST:

• DT20 twin channel digital programmer
• DT20RF digital RF thermostat with twin channel programmer
• TD200 text display
• FW100 weather compensation controller
• FW110 programmable room thermostat.

But even if you think that your boiler is clever enough to stay ahead of the game, now is a good time to check the controls and look again at the timings that will get you through the winter period. And its been well researched that clocks and timing devices that are incorrectly set for the various seasons, can add a considerable amount to a householder’s energy bills.

Make sure that your heating and hot water comes on at the correct times to maximise that expensive energy you are generating.

And while you’re doing that, also give your system the once over as it prepares to cope with the demands of water. Check that the pilot light is burning correctly, that there are no stains around the boiler and that there are no leaks. Do this, but always bear in mind that you can’t do any DIY repairs on your own boiler – it is against the law. Only gas engineers on the Gas Safe Register are allowed to work on boilers so, if you think you have a problem, call one of them. Remember, never play around with you’re a boiler. Adjust the controls certainly, but never think you can service it yourself, or make repairs.

Also, give your system the once over, feeling for cold spots in radiators, muck stuck in water tanks, or any leaks you can see in the piping. Always remember that a central heating system will likely fail on the coldest day, on a Sunday (or it always seems that way), so make sure you check it out.

Guest Article by Neil Camp